STEPHENVILLE – Dr. Ellen Jordan, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state dairy specialist in Dallas, was honored by Texas A&M University and the Association of Former Students with the University-Level Distinguished Achievement Award for Extension, Outreach, Continuing Education and Professional Development during a ceremony April 27 in College Station.

This award is presented to a staff member, faculty member or administrator who has brought credit to Texas A&M University through his or her dedication, enthusiasm, attitude and effectiveness in the particular field of AgriLife Extension, continuing education or professional development in which he or she is engaged.

For the last 36 years, Jordan has been educating producers and their employees and working with dairy industry leaders to improve milk production and the quality of life for both cows and producers. Jordan announced she will retire effective April 30.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with a lot of great dairy producers who have welcomed us into their farms to do applied research needed to improve the industry,” she said. “It’s been a collaborative effort between them and AgriLife.”

Jordan said improvements such as reducing heat stress on milk cows, improving reproduction and working with producers on labor management issues have created a better environment for cows and made facilities across the state more productive.

“Improving production and animal welfare are top priorities,” she said. “Happy cows are more productive, and educating employees about dairy farms is a big part of reducing stresses.”

Jordan said she has appreciated the opportunity to work with the Texas Association of Dairymen on various legislative issues in Austin, including milk pasteurization and environmental impacts of dairies and evaluating technology that could be incorporated for production.

“The dairy industry has been an early adopter of technology,” she said. “Whether it’s technology that collects data on milk composition or alerts farmers about potential issues with cows or the facility, we’ve worked diligently to identify how technology and information can improve animal wellness and production, which ultimately improves their ability to deliver high quality dairy products to consumers.”

Earlier this year, Jordan was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award of Excellence in the Extension specialist/program specialist category.

Over the years, Jordan has held numerous leadership roles and participated in many committees within the American Dairy Science Association. In addition, she has been secretary/treasurer of the Texas Animal Nutrition Council; served in several roles with the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists; was president of the American College of Animal Nutrition; helped found and was a director of the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council; and currently is vice chair of the Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium.

She has received the DeLaval Dairy Extension Award from the American Dairy Science Association in 2007, the highest award for an Extension educator they bestow, and was named a Fellow in 2014. In addition, she was recognized at World Ag Expo in 2010 by being named the Outstanding Dairy Industry Educator/Researcher of the Year.

“It’s an honor to receive this award,” she said. “It’s a blessing and a privilege, and I feel like it’s recognizing the whole industry because they’ve made my job a pleasure.”

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Maggie Tucker at maggie.tucker@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.